Chapter 10

From the time they left his apartment, both of them had regained their professional appearance and mannerisms expected of a soldier. Neither one spoke as they made their daily routine to the car and from there, HQ. It was a comfortable routine now for her, it seemed normal as if she'd been doing this for years.

Aside from the gentle rumbling of the car's engine as they drove, the trip was silent. Hawkeye sat in the passenger seat, her fingers idling playing with the buttons on her jacket, tracing over the smooth metal. He wanted to ask what was on her mind, but he knew the answer already and seemed stupid to voice it.

Her body went rigid; her hands froze on the button she had been inspecting. If it wasn't for the strange choking noise she made Roy wouldn't have took notice, he glanced over at the woman and noticed she was staring out the window, her eyes locked on the side mirror.

"Riza"

"-op. STOP!" She shouted, her eyes filled with erratic fear. Roy didn't hesitate to swerve the car off to the side. He turned to her; her eyes hadn't left the window.

"Riza! What's wrong? What is it?" He hated been out of the loop. Suddenly she whipped around, her neck craning to see out of the back window of the car before turning to him.

"It's them Roy! Those were the men from the warehouse! I just know it!" She pointed frantically behind her. Roy turned in the direction she pointed. Several yards down the road, walking casually away from them were two men. One of them glanced behind him at the sound of the tires screeching to a stop but didn't appear to recognize them. Roy saw the fear in her eyes; she looked as she did that day he found her in the rain.

"Stay here. I swear to god I won't let them lay a finger on you again." He didn't know what he would do but he knew if he didn't act now, this chance might not come again. Thankfully it was still early, the streets were almost empty. Still he had to prevent harm from coming to anyone, it was his duty. His military training told him to wait and call for back up. To not take any unnecessary risks but the part that was his own, told them if they got away they could come back with more vengeance. After all they survived the explosion, they wanted them dead now and he was going to find out why.

By the time Roy had stepped out of the car and made his way after the men, he noticed they had begun to walk a little more briskly. They were onto him. They wouldn't make a large scene here though, they wouldn't be that foolish.

She wrung her hands together tightly as she waited. Would he be alright by himself? There were citizens around; neither would act too rashly right? Hawkeye bit at her lower lip, her eyes flickering between her lap and the side mirror where she could see Mustang walking with purpose after the two men, side stepping around the odd shopkeeper or pedestrian.

What was that?

Riza squinted into the mirror than spun around to get a better look at the object of her confusion. A trick of the light perhaps, but she could have sworn she saw a glimmer, a reflection of some sort.

It couldn't be! They wouldn't be so foolish!

All her intense military training and years of honed sharpshooting skills told her Mustang was in grave danger. Fear vanished, replaced by urgency. She flung the car door open, almost falling out in her urgency to save the colonel. She ran as quickly as she could after Mustang, praying she wasn't too late to stop what was coming.

She had no time to give him warning as it would most likely trigger the shooter as well. Riza dropped to the ground, kicking her leg out to the side and knocking Mustang backwards off his feet. With speed born from years of Military training she grabbed the gun that hung from Mustang's side as he tumbled backwards, in all actuality she'd used this weapon far more times than he ever had. The shooter fired at the same time Riza interfered, the shot would have been a direct hit otherwise. The streets were bare save for the current conflict now thankfully. Precision and timing was Hawkeyes specialty, she fired off two shots at the men only seconds after gaining the deadly firearm. She dropped the first man as he began to reach for his weapon, the next hit the original gunman in the arm, rendering it useless and making him drop his own gun in the process. The third man was able to avoid her aim as he dived quickly into an alley. Now they had to assume he would be armed.

"You really should get someone to watch your back Sir." Her eyes were deadly focused on the two men in front of her, occasionally flicking to the side where the third fled to. Her aim was steady and unwavering as she held the gun on the man who stood frozen clutching his shoulder wound. His friend laid prone on the ground bleeding at his feet. With eyes that matched her name she noticed his eyes flicking downwards at the gun by his side, trying to decide on whether or not he could get a shot off at her. The cocking on the gun to his forehead brought the point home quite nicely. The man pulled back slightly, raising his hands in submission.

Mustang grimaced in pain, he had landed roughly on the cement, rubbing his back, he pulled himself back to his feet. His gaze was fixed on the back of his beloved Lieutenants head; he gave a sly smirk. "I have no need for someone. That's still your job Chuuei."

Hawkeye gave a small nod and watched as Mustang approached the two men, she kept her eyes trained on the man she swore to protect and also the ones that sought to do them harm. The wounded man met Roy's fiery glare. His gaze told him that if he even moved a muscle he would be incinerated. With the knowledge Riza was watching his back he passed by the man and turned his attention to the one that was fleeing. Roy stepped out into the alley, his trench coat blowing menacingly in the breeze, matching his expression perfectly. The alley was empty, or so it appeared at first glance. Trash, bins and debris- typical things you'd expect to find in an alley. He could hear the man's heavy panting and shuffling of feet as he tried to remain hidden from view or to get a clear shot of him. Either way it was just him and Roy and he knew who was going to win. The man was clearly spooked and would act rashly. Just as predicted it didn't take long before the man peeked out from his hiding place behind some bins. Roy smirked and took a few steps towards him, removing his gloved hands from his pockets as he did so. The man's eyes widened. His options were dwindling rapidly. If he ran he was dead or captured if he was super lucky. If he fired perhaps he could drop him and get away. The man drew his gun but didn't even get it above his waist before the Colonel snapped his fingers and sent the man ablaze. He had two potential prisoners, they didn't need a third. Plus, he was still far too angry to let them all go so easy.

"Hey there Miss. It's been awhile!" The man gazed up at Riza, tossing her a small sarcastic wave as he suddenly gained a bout of cockiness most likely due to the Colonel being absent. He leaned back slowly so not to provoke the trigger happy Lieutenant. He glanced over at his companion, he was conscious but in more pain than he was. Hawkeye didn't respond to his greeting but couldn't help grit her teeth in annoyance at his attitude. They tortured her for days; continuously and now they were helpless in front of her and her job and standing preventing her from seeking revenge. Not like this.

"What you still don't remember us sweety? We shared such quality time together too."

"I remember everything you dirty bastards!" Riza spat. It took all her strength to not put a few more holes in his body.

"Oh that's good. Very good. Perhaps we can try it again sometime. I do like how you scream." The man chuckled, watching as her hands that held the gun shook. He must not fear death as much as he enjoyed getting a reaction from her. They wouldn't beat her. She was stronger than that. Anything she said would just fan the flames. Hawkeye held her emotions in check like she had done a hundred times before and focused on her job. She quickly removed them of their weapons, ignoring the quip comments he made in the process.

"Won't your boyfriend Colonel be jealous, Miss Lieutenant Hawkeye?" He asked with a grin as she reached to remove the gun strapped to his friend.

"No one's jealous of garbage." She shot back. The man's face contorted in anger, he started to move but froze as she returned the gun to his head. "If you know me so well, you know I don't miss. Move again and I swear there will be a different outcome from the last time we meet."

Mustang returned from the alley to find Hawkeye standing next to the two men on the ground, she had them sitting up against the wall, their hands behind their hand (more painful for the poor sap with the shoulder wound he noted) Hawkeye felt his presence behind her and knew without asking the fate of the third man.

"Sir, I called ahead to have these two brought in." Mustang stood behind her and nodded. She was back. A part of him truly enjoyed the quality, non-professional time they had shared together, she called him Roy so freely, rather than Sir all the time regardless of whether they were on duty or not, nonetheless he was still relieved that his Hawkeye was back and things would quickly return to normal now.

Just how quickly surprised them all.

When they arrived at HQ, Hawkeye left to take care of some reports and debrief what happened, they would want to know about her recovery. Mustang walked slowly to his office, only imagining the kind of paperwork that was waiting for him regarding yesterday. Naturally his men were already there and working diligently. Mustang had already been running late before the whole fiasco in the streets. Fuery had already heard about the arrest they made of the men and most of the details, although at the moment only he and Hawkeye knew about her memory. He didn't think it was his place to say anything, not until she was checked out and passed anyways.

When his men asked where she was, he told them shortly that she was busy and would join them again when she could.

The afternoon slipped by before he knew it, military personnel passed to and from his office bearing gifts of papers or documents or asked to appear before one superior or another. There wasn't much time to think about anything, although he did.

It wasn't until late afternoon when the door opened and the blonde officer stepped through the door. Under her arm she carried a large pile of papers and looked rather exhausted, although she did a good job at hiding it, it was possible no one else noticed. She had more than likely been tested and questioned all day. She placed the papers on her desk with a dull thud.

"Welcome back Chuuei!" Fuery greeted her in his usual cheerful tone. Hawkeye returned a short but no unfriendly reply. It was professional and to the point. The men glanced between themselves than looked towards Mustang whom had his head bent over some papers- not doing them they knew but avoiding their gazes most likely.

"Lieutenant Havoc." She addressed suddenly to the man blonde man at the desk, her tone sharp and for some reason sent shivers down his spine. He suppressed an audible gulp and stood as she approached. Her expression matched her tone perfectly. Her uniform was freshly pressed, and he noticed now that she wore a shiny- freshly cleaned he guessed- firearm strapped to her side. "I have just one question that's bothered me for a while. When you searched that warehouse the other day, would you please explain to me how exactly you knew my gun was the ONLY item missing from my purse?" She asked, her tone changing slightly to a more deadly curiosity. He knew without being told that his answer could decide his fate and whether or not he'd live to see another day.

Mustang glanced up at this and watched with quiet interest. He gave a look of sympathetic concern to Havoc that by this time had become ghostly pale and looked as if he would pass out any second. Behind their doomed colleague the other men bowed their heads in unison and began to say a small prayer on his behalf while Riza drew her gun and released the safety. Havoc turned his head to the side, shouting something about 'traitors' to the men behind him. It didn't take long to figure out what had happened

"It was nice knowing you, Havoc. Don't worry, I'll take good care of Marie for you."

Mustang spoke gravely. The part that concerned Havoc the most was that they both knew he was all too serious about that last part.

At this moment the gun to his head was definitely first and foremost of a threat.

"Um... Erm... no, it's- it's not like that Hawkeye-chuuei! Really-" He stammered, grasping for straws as he tried to think of a way out of this. "It- it was open and I- I- I wasn't looking through it or anything like that. It was- it- I didn't see anything weird!"

Havoc waved his hands in gesture frantically about him, his heart beating rapidly. He knew from experience as woman's bag was a sacred possession and if she knew the truth that he had in fact poked through the contents he really would shoot her. It wasn't like he was doing it to be perverted but curiosity did get the better of him and what if there was an important clue in it that would help them? They had to know right? He had really hoped she wouldn't have remembered just that one line of his.

"...weird? Is that how you describe my purse?" Hawkeye's eye twitched, her grip tightened on the loaded weapon, her finger hovering threateningly over the trigger.

Mustang chuckled softly from his desk, finally deciding to let his officer off the hook before he required a new uniform... or a coffin. It became a common, no less terrifying event around them to have the woman pull a gun threatening on one of the men under his direct command.

"Chuuei. It's good to have you back and so full of spirit. However I'm truly not looking forward to the amount of paperwork that would be involved in you riddling my officer with bullet holes... I also believe there's a more pressing matter at hand."

Hawkeye let out a sigh, returning the firearm safely to its home at her side. "Your right Sir." She turned, forgetting about Havoc and returned to her desk. Sorting through the files with precise organization she pulled a folder from somewhere in the middle and handing it to Mustang. "These are the files pertaining to the warehouse last night and the information we gathered from the area and what the interrogation has brought forth." She pulled forth another smaller file from the stack and gave it to him as well. "My report, Sir. Everything that's happened in the past few days, I'm afraid there's nothing overly helpful in there."

Mustang gave a nod, placing the folders on top of his ever growing pile.

"Thank you Lieutenant. You always know how to keep me from being bored." He stated sarcastically, leaning his head into the hand that was being propped up on the desk.

The rest of the day went by quietly. She had successfully reinstated herself as the cold lieutenant of the military and each of the men busied themselves diligently with work, even Mustang whom was almost buried in work at this point. Passing into the evening, the men slowly filtered out for the night leaving only Hawkeye and Mustang working hard to make some headway. There were no words spoken between the two until several hours after his men had left. Roy leaned back in his chair and stretched, relieving the writing cramp in his hand.

"Hawkeye-chuuei. Its late, why don't we call it a night?" He groaned, rubbing his head and staring at the half done report.

Hawkeye glanced up at him from across the desk and made a face. "It's only 7:30pm Sir. You have too much work here to leave it all until tomorrow. We can get a couple more hours in Sir."

Roy set the pen down and folded his arms across his desk, his gaze focused on the woman before him.

"Riza… do you by any chance have any recollection of the past few nights, and I don't care what dull stories you wrote in your report" His voice was casual but curious. Intrigue had gotten the best of him.

Riza froze; the question caught her off-guard. When she didn't respond, a sly smile crept across Mustangs face. It was bold of him, but he had to know. He pushed the chair back and stood up.

"Um… Sir. I really don't think this is the time or place to be discussing this. You have work. We're at work."

Mustang stopped in front of her chair and leaned down to the seated woman. "I told you told last. I've never been one to follow rules." Feeling no resistance coming from the woman he steeled his nerves and took her into a deep kiss. It took a little longer for her to warm up to him than it had last time but when she did, she returned the kiss with passion equaling or exceeding his own, her hands automatically found their way around Mustangs back, secretly begging him to stay. The spark they had last night returned. She ran her hands through his soft black hair and took in the scent of his skin.

One of his hands gripped the arm of her chair, supporting his weight as he leaned; his free hand cupped her face gently. Roy opened his eyes in surprise when he realized his hand was suddenly wet. Roy released her lips to notice tears streaming down his Lieutenants face.

"I'm sorry Roy." She apologized quickly, wiping the traitorous tears away with her sleeve. "…I- I'm just so relieved to know it's all real."

Roy smiled, placing a tender kiss on her cheek where a moment ago there had been tears. "It's real, I promise you. Memories may fade or be forgotten, but my feelings for you- Miss Riza Hawkeye, will never waver. I love you no matter what.

AN: Fin! I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did writing it (Especially the fluffy bits) I realize I didn't actually solve who was the mastermind behind it all, I actually had plans to do that. This was all supposed to take place after the anime brotherhood (with a few tiny changes) than I realized halfway through I had messed up ranks enough to do that. So thought I'd leave it sorta open ended. It ended happy though, they're together. Right? Right? ^_^